The Moon Also Rises
by colorfulequines
Summary: (I'm so bad at summaries hhhhhhhhhhhh) Welcome to Equestria, the magical, beautiful, land that was plunged into world war. The fate of the crumbling world is now determined on the success of a risky mission led by Twilight Sparkle. With rising tensions and secrets, along with a mysterious double agent, will the team be able to do their duty? (Rated T for light gore and swearing)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: In which we meet Rusty and Elodie.

Author's note: hello, everyone brave enough to read this! Before you go on and try to make sense of this monstrosity, I need to get some boring details out of the way. I'd suggest just skimming this part, as it has some important details about the plot. I've been writing this for a while now, and the first two chapters are finished- I'll probably upload them on the same day. The third chapter is almost finished. Updates will hopefully be every month, but schoolwork and riding might get in the way of that. If you're planning to keep up with the story, I'll warn you that it will be from around 14 to 30 chapters, depending on how long each chapter is. The whole fighting style is modeled after WW2. It's not exactly a WW2 au, because that would require me having to write about some tricky racial issues. I'm going to skip over those. The time period that this is set in is the 40s. The cause of the war should be explained by chapter 8, so please don't ask me about it. All the main characters that will consistently have Povs are my ocs. Canon characters will start appearing around chapter 6. The Povs will change a lot. 4 characters will consistently have a Pov, but I'm going to throw in some others. The Povs of characters that will only get a pov once will start appearing in chapter 5. That's all the details out of the way. Constructive criticism would be great.

Your name is Rusty, and 3 months ago, your life was acceptable. Now it's turned to plain bullshit. You're in a trench while bombs are going off. Ponies are shooting and screaming and probably dying. Not probably. Definitely. At least it stopped raining.  
You're not alone in the trench, making things more frustrating. If you had it your way, you'd do everything by yourself. Wedged into your side (and uncomfortably close) was Vodka, your almost mare friend. The two of you certainly looked the part. Beside you, on your other side, is Salem. Salem is 1 of your 5 younger siblings, making you the oldest. Your sister is quietly observing the situation. Her dog, Scout, (who she insisted on bringing) is sitting there, panting. Why the fuck do you need a dog? It's beyond you.  
Next to the godforsaken dog is Connie, one of your only sane friends. She's actually concerned about the outcome of the war. Champagne, Connie's drunk half sister, is the last pony in the trench. She's muttering about twigs or birds or something-you can't make out her words and you don't think you want to. By now, all 6 of you, (including the dog) should be out of the trench. Obviously, you aren't. In a perfect world you would be fighting instead of hiding. But this isn't a perfect world by any standards. You're trapped.  
The grenades are going off in every direction and bullets slice through the air. Not fun.  
"We leaving?" Salem glances over at you as she speaks. You shrug.  
Though you are sisters, you and Salem are different. She is a heavier built and short earth pony, whereas you are a lanky and tall unicorn. Her fur is a smokey gray and she has a short blue green mane with violet eyes and a few piercings. Apparently, (and you're really not sure you believe this) Salem can speak to ghosts. However, she's smarter than she sounds. When it comes to math, she knows her shit. You're a dirty copper color and have 1 eye that's a darkish blue gray. You lost your right eye in a gang fight (long story) so even though that eye isn't in your head, you wear a bandage to cover it up. Your mane and tail are black and a sort of dark red.  
"I'd like an answer."  
"I'd like you to shut up." Salem scowls at you.  
"No one needs your smart mouth." You shrug again, rather than admit defeat. You'd never let anyone get the best of you.  
The mare at your side stirs a little and you feel your face heat up. Fucking great.  
"Marefriend can slheep but I din't?" Ah yes, the drunken questionnaires of Champagne.  
"We ain't dating, and she's waking up. By the way, the words that come out of your mouth make no goddamn sense. All I hear is incessant babbling."  
"Whats that maen?" She pronounces her words so awkwardly it makes you cringe. "It means shut the fuck up because you make no sense." Ok, so maybe you're a little harsh. More than just a little. Call it a defense mechanism, a way to keep everyone away from you. You're not proud of your dirty mouth and the fact you say ain't, but if it makes you more intimidating, you'll take it.  
The dog growls. Stupid dog.  
"We should go." Salem points out anxiously. "Like, now. We shouldn't wait." She's getting on your nerves.  
"Lemme think." How are you supposed to leave and remain alive? You've seen a ponie's head get sliced clean off. Your enemies were brutal, no denying it. Though your life was far from perfect, you had only a small desire to die. If you did, then oh well, you're done for. If you don't, congratulations! You live another day. Living is definitely the more attractive option.  
"I think I have an idea."

Your name is now Elodie. As you may have guessed, it's time for a pov switch. How exciting. You'd better get used to these.  
As previously stated your name is Elodie, and as of now, you are enjoying the outdoors. Or rather, pretending to enjoy. You'd much rather be curled up inside with your tea and a murder mystery. For you, the coolest thing ever would be to solve a murder mystery. Unfortunately, your reading has been interrupted and you've been shoved outside.  
The outside scares you. Bugs in particular freak you out. Where the fuck did they come from? Why do they bother you, of all ponies? It doesn't help your situation of being accused of having fleas. (And for the record, you don't.) You can ponder over life's mysteries later, because right now, you have a job. The very exciting job of buying bread. Woohoo.  
Not all the errands your mother makes you do are bad. In your saddlebag, there are 20 bits. You grin kind of evilly to yourself because you have a plan. A plan that isn't necessarily for the greater good.  
You like to refer to the walk to the bakery as the great outdoors. Maris, your hometown, is always overflowing with flowers, trees, and parks. It's also overwhelmingly clean. Kind of like being the country. The birds are singing, there are a shitload of bugs, and it's peaceful. In your neighborhood, you can't remember the last time there was a crime worse than a robbery. A good robber covers her tracks. Some idiots don't.  
The bakery is a relatively small building, painted blue with green trim. (You're not crazy about the color scheme.) Cakes always display themselves in the windows. You'd like to stop and stare at the cakes, but you've done that a million times before and it's not productive. You're all about action, not waiting and wasting time.  
Entering the building, you walk up to the counter. Well, first you have to wait in line. The floor is black and white checkered and the place smells so strongly of cake it almost knocks you over. There are some small black tables in the front.  
When it's your turn to order, you don't get the bread. Instead, you settle for 6 cupcakes. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the intended use of your money. It didn't matter to you though, because you'd have the bread eventually. Maybe not now, but hopefully by tonight.  
You sit down at one of the tables and eat a cupcake while thinking about how you're going to get that bread. You've been collecting details on the layout of the place for a while now, so you know that there is a back door. It remains locked at night. Opening it is a job for your trusty crowbar. That's one problem solved. You're guessing there's no one guarding the place, so you won't need your gun. As always, you will bring your knife. It makes you more confident when you know you have a weapon to use.  
You're not a criminal mastermind, but most of your plans go smoothly. Little did you know that this skill would later save your life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: In which we meet Whisper and Reckless and Rusty lies

Authors note: There's really nothing to say.

You are Rusty again. Now that you are Rusty, you can share your master plan with your companions.  
"Ok, so the plan is to run fast and not get shot."  
"Are you fucking serious?" Vodka picks her head up. "What about land mines?"  
"Watch your step." You smile and she pins back her ears, pouting.  
"Where'll we go once we get out if here?" Connie asks in her lilting Irish accent. This isn't a detail you've considered. Your job is top secret, something that only the 6 of you-counting the goddamn dog, because Salem will definitely count her, know about. Well, the six of you and the government. In fact, the whole reason you are out here is because of Princess Twilight Sparkle.  
"Our next hiding spot is a couple miles away." The one you were originally supposed to report to was now a pile of rubble. "We'll get out of here." You add as cheerfully as you can. You're the leader of this team, and you have to keep their spirits up.  
"I didn't doubt that." Champagne says. If she opens her mouth one more time, you're going to fucking punch her.  
"At least someone had faith in me." Even that someone was a useless drunk.

It is now time for yet another pov switch. Oh, how exciting. You're name is Whisper. Whisper isn't actually your name. It's a nickname you got while in school. You are Princess Twilight's personal guard. This is a huge honor, one that you're proud of.  
The sun is just creeping into view in Ponyville, but your day started a little while ago. An hour ago, you woke up. That gave you some time to eat, shower, and throw on your armor. It weighs you down and you don't need it, seeing as nothing ever happens in this sleepy little town. Twilight has told you time and time again that she doesn't need to be watched, so she lets you do whatever you want, as long as your in uniform.  
You need to receive conformation that you aren't needed, so you go to Twilight's house first. You knock on the door, and she answers. How the hell is she always up this early and looking so optimistic?  
"Hello, Whisper. Would you like some coffee?" Your employer has become aware of your caffeine addiction, and since there's never enough time in the morning, she keeps a supply. That mare is too damn kind for her own good.  
"Would I ever!" She smiles and lets you in. You follow her into the kitchen. Twilight takes out two mugs, putting boiling water in one and levitating one in your general direction, which you take. Walking over to the coffee machine, you pour the steaming liquid in the cup until it's nearly full, about 1/4 is left unoccupied. The remaining 1/4 is filled with milk and you put in three scoops of sugar. One of the major problems in your life is that you have a major sweet tooth. You've been known to eat a whole box of chocolates in one sitting when given the opportunity.  
"There's news from Canterlot." It's sort of nice that she breaks the silence.  
"Oh?" You lean forward a little.  
"Remember the plan I put together? The mare I put in charge-"  
"The real mouthy one with one eye?"  
"That would be the one. And you shouldn't talk ill of her. Didn't you say she scares you? And she's also from Manehatten." At this, you flinch. Your Manehatten accent is so painfully strong, while Rusty speaks without it. This makes her look good in some ponies eyes, while your accent? Not so much.  
"Well anyway, we got the distress signal. The base she was supposed to go to got blown up. She's still in the trenches with her team. They received the signal a little while ago, but I just got news of it now." She pauses. "This would be easier if I were in Canterlot."  
"You could go." Rule one of being a body guard: don't say 'we.' You weren't a team, nor were you friends. Twilight was a responsibility, some might say a burden.

It's time for the third pov switch in the chapter. You are now Reckless. That is your name. At the moment, you're pretty fucking pissed, because you've been sent from your home in Manehatten to a stupid town with a stupid name. It's name is Ponyville, and that's the dumbest name you've ever heard. Because of the world war, many major cities are in danger of getting bombed. Your Grandma decided it would be safer for you in Stupidville.  
The pony you have to stay with, Cricket, is really weird. She smells like mothballs. Cricket's job is to get rid of bugs-she's a pest pony. She's out working most of the time, but you don't really care because she's boring and dumb. Sadly, you don't have any friends in this place. Most of your days are spent working on your aim, which is currently shit.  
Your working on shooting because that is what your dead sister would want. You miss her because she was your best friend and you couldn't stand any of your other siblings. Before this, you lived with Saffy, your agender sibling. They were annoying. But your sister wasn't coming back. You know this because you've got written proof. A letter.  
Reckless,  
If you're reading this, I'm probably dead. By the time this reaches you, I will have begun my suicide mission. I'm not coming back if you haven't picked that up yet. One life for thousands of others. Kind of ready for death anyway.  
There's another reason I'm writing you. Some life advice, for your eyes only, is being offered. So fucking listen up. If-no, when I die, I suppose it will hurt. Grief is a bitch. Grief will toughen you up, harden you. But remember, there's a difference between being tough and shutting everyone out. I learned that the hard way.  
It's probably a little too early for somepony special to come in your life, but if they do, treat them like royalty. Be faithful, but don't let them walk all over you. If a relationship is toxic, you leave it. You're not tied down to anyone or anything. It's ok to leave them, even if it makes you cry. Sometimes the right choices have to hurt.  
Take care of the family. Especially Mom and Ambrosia. Make sure Saffy doesn't go on a killing spree or something.  
Don't be afraid to trust, but don't trust too easily either. It can hurt you. Don't put yourself down, and for fuck's sake, defend yourself. You're you. Don't ever change that. I love you, even if I was bossy and pissy and rude and all. That's sort of how I show affection. Anyway, take care little sis. I believe in you.  
~Rusty  
P.s. I left 50 bits in my dresser for a rainy day. Go ahead and spend it or some shit. It was supposed to be for a birthday gift, but pick what you want.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I was actually supposed to have uploaded this a week ago but I didn't because I've been lazy. Production on this is probably going to be slowed down yet again because I've been spending time doing some other writing on the side to practice my skills. Chapter four has been started, though. If anyone wants to know, the rifle Rusty uses is somewhat similar to the M-1 rifle. I still need a beta reader.

Your name is Rusty. The last time you were you, you were forming your genius master plan which in reality will do nothing. Most of the time you could think on your feet. Why couldn't you now? You were scared, but that shouldn't mean you have to shut down. Something had to be done. Your team was counting on you.  
"Everyone ready to go?" You asked. "All you have to do is run. We'll meet up over there in that forest." The expanse of trees should provide some much needed cover. But there is a possibility that your enemies would have the same idea and be hiding there as well. It's something you have to risk.  
You're pleased that you remembered your trusty rifle. That thing has saved your life more times than you can count. It was a gift from your father for your 11th birthday. It's always been by your side.  
Flicking your tail to signal your team forward, you leap out of the trench and gallop towards the forest as if your life depends on it. Which it does. As frightening as it is, you enjoy this lifestyle.  
You manage to somehow make it into the forest, panting and sweat rolling off your flanks. Now you just have to make sure everyone else made it. Vodka comes charging into view next. Her hooves slid rather unceremoniously on the ground, but she manages to maintain balance. Salem trots in after her with her stupid dog, followed closely by Champagne and Connie. You're surprised Champagne is able to run that fast while being drunk. Who knew?  
"Anyone hurt?" You ask.  
"I shtubbed my hof." Champ offers.  
"We've been over this. That doesn't. Fucking. Count."  
"But you asked-"  
"Shut up." Everyone's alive. No one's hurt. That makes you proud, though you can't stop someone from dying. You know a lot about death. When you were 14, almost 15, your father died. It sticks with you, the way your mother sobbed. That was the first time you'd ever seen her cry. After that, she was never the same. No one in your family was.  
"Rusty!" Salem yelled.  
"Huh?" You flicked up your ears, blush creeping up your face. What were you doing, reliving old moments in the battlefield? That was a stupid decision on your part.  
"You're so distant sometimes." Your sister sighs. "I asked you if we were actually going now, but you were somewhere else."  
"I-yes. We're going." Why is everyone so damn impatient? "Here." You reach into your saddlebags and take out a map, unrolling it. "Right now, we're in this forest." You pout to a forest on the map.  
"No shit." Vodka mutters.  
"We want to be here." The place you want to be is an old barn. From what you've heard, it's pretty broken down and junky. "However, this shitstack is a couple of miles from here. Think you can all make it?"  
"How long will it take us to arrive?" Connie asks. You shrug at the draft horse.  
"Beats me."

You now Elodie again. You've got a plan of your own. Tonight, you will rob the bakery. This isn't the first time you've done something like this, nor will it be the last.  
Of course, you can't rob a store in broad daylight, and the sun's still shining. This will give you some time to put your supplies together. You've already arrived at your family's apartment. It's just you and your parents. When you proudly display your purchase of 5 cupcakes, your parents, as expected, aren't thrilled. Soon you'll be in college, and they won't have to deal with you anymore. That's a relief, knowing you can leave your annoying family behind.  
Your room is dark, and you like it that way, because the darkness is comforting to you. There's a bed pushed up against the wall, and some magazines on the floor. Two book shelves are crammed on the other side of your room. A leather bad also lays on the bag. The bag contains you essentials for robbing, an illegal hobby of yours. In the bag, there is a crowbar, a knife, a gun, and a box of bullets. The bullets were hard to get. Because of the war, they are in high demand.  
You realized that you have everything you need and you have hours before you can leave. Defeated, you slump on your bed. While we leave you bored and waiting, it's time to be someone else.

You are now Whisper. Though Twilight doesn't need you to help her, you are anyway. The two of you are organizing books. You've assumed that organizing is a sort of stress reliever for your employer.  
"Put that in the science section." She instructs. You set down the dusty old book on a shelf that is home to some science themed books.  
"You were right earlier." What? Twilight is facing away from you, trying to squeeze another book into the realistic fiction shelf. "I'd like to return to Canterlot."  
"D'ya want me to send a message? Tell 'em to get your room ready? When do you want to go?"  
"Tomorrow. I want to bring my friends." You sigh inwardly. Twilight is so loyal to her friends, too loyal. It's sort of like she's obsessed with them. In her defense, she's the fucking princess of friendship. It would be hard to expect anything less from a pony with that kind of title.  
"I'll tell the ponies up there to get their rooms ready." Turning, you leave the room and pick up a trot. You hate the sound of your steps echoing. It creeps you out, makes you feel that your not alone.  
The telephone is a fairly new invention in Equestria, and anypony who had to the money bought one, mostly for bragging rights. Only royalty, which Twilight was, actually had a use for them. The telephone room was small and gray with no windows. The actual phone sat on a mahogany desk. A clutter of wires littered the floor. You step over the said wires carefully and pick up the receiver, dialing the Canterlot number. Someone picks up and asks you to hold. This is odd, as someone is always ready to answer, though they may get you transferred to another line. After waiting a few minutes, a stallion picks up the phone.  
"The Princess would like to return to Canterlot with her friends."  
"She can't do that." The pony on the other side said.  
"Sorry?"  
"Haven't you heard?"  
"Heard what?"  
"Canterlot and Maris are probably going to be attacked or bombed or something! If you were listening to the radio earlier, you would have heard that the plans to attack were leaked. Plus, there are enemy troops coming closer." Your heart sunk. Equestria doesn't have a very strong military at all. Most of the troops were off fighting in Prance, and only a few rookie royal guards remained it the capital city. There was no way they could hold back an attack. Would Equestria be taken over? You felt sick.  
"You still there?"  
"Hmm? Yeah."  
"The attack is tomorrow."  
"What?"  
"If Twilight's gonna come, she has to do it right now. And she can't bring her friends, because Celestia wants to use the castle as a hospital. We have to fit everyone in there." You nod, then realize the pony on the other side of the phone couldn't see you doing it.  
"I'll tell her." You say, hanging up the phone. The Princess is going to hate this.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Is it just me, or does this seem rushed? I'm trying to keep it slow and well paced, but that will mean having to write filler chapters which I have a hard time with. I need to suck it up and stop whining if I actually want to finish this. And yes, I know Cheerilee is OOC. That was done to entertain me tbh.

Your name is Elodie, and right now, you are laying in your room, scheming. Tonight, you're going to rob a bakery. You can tell your mother isn't pleased with your earlier purchase. She's muttering to herself in the kitchen, thinking you can't hear her. But you can. The radio in the kitchen crackles to life.  
"...and in other news, the stock market dropped a few points...wait! Oh fuck!" The radio news anchor's tone is dripping with panic.  
Interested at why the newspony was swearing, you make your way to the kitchen. Your mother is leaning against your counter, hoof over her heart.  
"News from Canterlot! Canterlot and Maris are under attack! Or, will be. These plans just leaked!"  
"We're literally undefended." Your mother whispers. "Get me the scotch."  
Your mother is the most sober pony you know. She probably hasn't touched a drop of alcohol in three years. Nevertheless, you grab the bottle from the alcohol cabinet and bring it to your mother. She opens it and downs half the bottle in one swig, before slamming it down so hard you jump in surprise.  
"Holy shit." You whisper.  
"Elodie, you know I don't like it when you swear." She pauses, fear in her eyes. "What are we going to do?"  
"I have a gun." You wait for the scolding you know you have coming.  
"Don't try to fight back! They'll shoot you! We're going to die!" She wailed.  
"No we won't."  
"You should evacuate."

"Where would I go?" It's not like any of your friends would have you. Their apartments are too small, their tolerances too low. All of your family lived out of the city.

"Fuck." You savored the forbidden word.

"Oh, knock it off with that." Your Mother takes another swig, then wipes her mouth with the back of her hoof. What does Scotch even taste like? Is it bitter? Why is she even drinking? You do know that sometimes, ponies do bad things that aren't smart, like getting blackout drunk. Why? To take away the pain. Because maybe the alcohol burns less than the sting of a heartache. Does love hurt? You wouldn't know, as you've never actually been in love. But your mother wasn't drinking because she was heartbroken. Well, you didn't know that for a fact. Perhaps she was. Maybe she was heartbroken for you, because you were stuck in this damn city. Because you would die young and never find someone to love. Because she knew what happened to the pretty young mares when the enemy soldiers marched in.

"Elodie!" Your mother snaps. "Get out of your head. Get me the fancy china and the gold cups. I'm going to see if I can bribe those brutes to leave you alone." She pauses, before saying "and get half of the money out of the safe." You do just that.

You are now Reckless. You don't think you've actually been you in a long time, which is an odd concept to think about. Who even thinks about those kind of abstract thoughts? You guess you do.

Today, you have to finally go to that hell called school, because Cricket won't stop nagging you. To be fair, what else did you have to do in that town?

You didn't actually go into the building. Instead, you leaned against the doorframe and observed. The school was too small for your tastes. It was a one room schoolhouse! You didn't even think those things were still in use in this century! _Whatever,_ you thought as you stepped in. Whatever happened to be your most common thought. The small room was packed with students who were milling around, and large desks that looked as if they could seat one pony each. Some purple earth pony mare stood at the front of the front of the room. The first thing that you noticed about her was she looked exhausted. Dark circles lay under her eyes, and her mane looked a bit unruly. She yawned and slumped down at her desk. Was she hung over or something?

The mare noticed you standing there, and asked "Who are you?"

"I'm Reckless." You say. "I'm new here."

"Sit next to Applebloom." She lay her head on the desk. Yup, definitely hungover.

"Miss, who's Applebloom?"

"The filly with the big bow." The answer was muffled by the desk.

You only saw one filly with a big bow, talking with two other fillies. A pegasus and a unicorn. Casually, you wandered over and stood a few feet away, eavesdropping, ears perked toward them.

"I'm just worried." The pegasus said. "She's going to be so far away, and with the way things are going…"

"She's going to be fine." The unicorn assured. Who were they talking about? Why wouldn't they drop a name?

Now was as good a time as any. You sauntered over. "Is anyone here named Applebloom?"

"Me. Why?" Asked the filly with the bow. You noted that she had a southern accent.

"I'm new here. I'm supposed to sit next to you."

"Oh. Well, my desk is over here." She walked toward a desk, and you scampered after her. "There." Applebloom pointed to an empty desk to the right of her, and you slid into the seat while she turned and walked back to her friends. One of the things you were never good at was making friends. In Manehatten, you were known as the filly with the explosive sister. But now Rusty wasn't here to shelter you with her reputation. You couldn't really force the other foals to be your friends and get away with it. Maybe you could try being friendly? How does that even work?

As you pondered this, along with the other mysteries of life, class began.

"Ok, class." The mare said in a monotone voice. "We have a new student with us today. Reckless, come to the front of the room." Nervously, you stood up and made your way over.

"Hi." You said as calmly as you could.

"So Reckless, where are you from?"

"Manehatten."

"Nice city. I assume you found your seat?"

"Yep."

"You may go sit." You returned to your seat next to Applebloom.

"We'll start our day by listening to the radio." Cheerilee turned on the radio on her desk.

"This is new news from Canterlot!" The announcer said. "Maris and Canterlot will soon be under attack!" Your first reaction was to scream, but that, of course, would be unhelpful and rather annoying. Best to keep your big mouth shut.

One foal took the news worse than you, and literally fell out of his chair and fainted. It looked like he hit his head pretty hard.

"Is he ok?" You asked. "Where's the school nurse?"

"We don't have one." Someone said.

"What?" You couldn't believe your ears. "Why?"

"Scootaloo, get him an icepack." Cheerilee interrupted your thoughts.

"But shouldn't someone-"

"That will be enough, Reckless."

The ponies in this town really were stupid.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: In which Rusty has a flashback and Whisper reports the bad news

Author's note: Rusty is definitely my favorite character to write, and I'd like to go into her backstory a little more. Tbh negative emotions are my favorite to write. It's a good way to get out my emotions. Unfortunately for me, they're the hardest to write. It's ironic because I experience these negative emotions a lot, but pain is fucking impossible for me to describe. I'm also super worried that Applejack's character is super ooc. And also it's time to meet one of my personal favorite ocs.

Your name is once again Rusty, and you've got the first watch shift. Nights are horrible. With nothing to do, you self destruct. You think about everything. About how your the team leader, and you have no idea what you're doing. About how the Princess is counting on you and your team of idiots to save the world. Letting down everyone wasn't an option. It was too late to turn around and go home. Hell, you faked your own death! Or something of that matter, at least.

You wished you weren't alone. Sure, had your team, and your sister Salem. But no one knew you. Not really. No one knew how lonely you were. You missed someone. Someone who had been dead a very long time. It's been years, and you should be over him. He was your first love, your only love. You can feel tears bite at the edge of your eye, and a stab of pain, as hurtful as it was the first time, jab you in the heart.

 _Your name is Rusty. You are 17 years old, and tonight, you're at a party._

 _Crowded places aren't usually your scene, because you're worried about the police finding you. Your name is Rusty, and you are involved with the Manehatten mafia. Call it a family business. You were one of the hitmares. Nevermind that you were young, you could shoot with the best of them. All of your skills had been handed down from your Father, who unfortunately is no longer alive and has perished due to this very business. Your Grandmother runs this gang, guaranteeing you a secure spot. What will you do?_

 _You decide to survey the room. Most of the ponies here are friends or acquaintances of yours. Almost everyone here is familiar. Almost. Someone is standing by themselves in a corner, wearing headphones. Huh. You can only make out their silhouette, the light illuminating just enough to let you know they're there. You're beginning to feel a little nervous, because if you don't know someone, couldn't that mean the police sent them? That's the last thing you want to deal with._

" _Who is that?" You decide to ask your bestfriend at the time, Kittyhawk. She was about your height with a brown coat and scarlett mane and tail. The two of you had been friends and partners in crime for a couple years now. Though she could be bossy and and have a closed mind and set opinions when it came to some things, you made a great pair._

" _So, you're finally looking at stallions?" She smirked._

" _How can you even tell their gender when it's this dark?" You asked, squinting._

" _Don't you know? I see everything."_

" _Don't act like an asshole." Playfully, you shove her in the shoulder._

" _Talk to him!"_

" _That's not really my forte."_

Your name is Whisper, and you hate delivering the bad news to Twilight. On the bright side, she reacted better than you thought she would. Part of you had been expecting her to tear out her mane and curse the day that she had come into contact with you. She did no such thing.

Twilight looked dismally into her cup of coffee.

"If we're gonna leave, it has to be now." You tell her.

"I'm just…" The alicorn stared out the window.

"I'll pack your bags!" The offer did nothing to grab her attention.

"Perhaps." Her voice is soft and kind of sad. "What do you think?"

"We'll be needed in Canterlot. I mean, you'll be needed, princess."

"Get my bags."

An hour later, the two of you arrived at the trainstation. At the moment, you were still nervous that Twilight was gonna have that mental breakdown now. You would have to deal with it if she did.

You both stepped onto the train. One of the coach attendants ushered the pair of you to Twilight's private coach, a large, airy room with huge windows. The walls had shiny violet wallpaper and floors with a plush white carpet that your hooves always sank into. Two beds sat, pushed at the sides of the room. A large, wooden, round table sat in the room's center, complete with a white tablecloth and a glass vase with daisies. The worker hurried the bags off to be stored away as Twilight gracefully lowered herself onto one of the beds and looked out the window.

You weren't supposed to, but you felt bad for her. She always hated leaving Ponyville. Part of you felt that she hated the large city, with it's constant changing and fast life. You couldn't feel _that_ bad for Twilight though, as she was royalty had had truckloads of friends in every town and city of Equestria.

You wished that the train had a phone on it. You told your marefriend that you'd call her. Would Celestia let her borrow the phone for something so unimportant? Hopefully you wouldn't even have to worry, and your marefriend would be safely barricaded in the palace at your urging.

Your name is Applejack. For a while now, you've known that the war would be getting closer to your own home, but you had no idea it'd come _this_ close. There was not a lot you could do to defend yourself, anyway. You'd wanted to go to the war, but the farm needed your extra pair of hooves. Money was tight, and the war brought in less income than you were earning now. Add in the medical costs if you got hurt, and your family could easily be in debt.

But luckily for you, hope had come in the form of a scrappy drug dealer. You yourself never sold, bought, or used anything. Ponyville was relatively clean when it came to drugs and alcohol. The nearby towns had a good amount of users, according to Rainbow Dash, who'd heard the news herself while in Cloudsdale.

Every sunday was market day. You and the family would try to sell your apples. Luckily, there were a good amount of regulars, and Sugarcube corner bought a box full for apple pies. Becoming bored of the scene, you'd decided to wander around. The other stalls were lacking in interest. For some odd reason, the dark, solitary, nearby alleys beckoned to you. It was weird, and you were never sure why.

Stepping away from your family, you decided to amble over to the aforementioned alley. You sat down and quietly observed, which was business as usual on market days.

"You need money?" Immediately, your ears flicked up. Who the fuck knew you were in a bad spot, and who the fuck told them?

The speaker was a gray earth pony. He had a choppy black mane with mint colored streaks in it and pale red orange eyes. This pony, whoever he was, overdosed on accessories. He wore a silver hoop and yellow stud on his right ear, and a black leather collar with gray spikes. The earrings were connected by a fat silver chain. He wore a bracelet that was rainbow colored. Kohl lined his eyes, and it looked like he'd drawn three dots under the left one. From what you could tell, this guy's cutie mark was a plume of smoke.

"Who told _you_?" You snapped.

"No one. This is what I've started saying to everyone who comes into the alley." He looked ...scared? You sighed. Maybe you'd ask him what he wanted.

"What are you selling?"

"You fighting in the war?"

"I wish. My family needs me."

"So you want to stay in town."

"That's the goal."

"So you wanna fight, but stay at home. Have I got a deal for you." You weren't going to lie, this guy had caught your attention.

"How do I pull off staying here _and_ fighting?" The stallion crept closer.

"Rumor has it that there is a resistance starting in Ponyville. It's in need of a leader. You're a strong mare, aren't you? Apple farmer? You're our top candidate."  
"Just _who_ are you?" You asked warily.

"Let's just say that I was sent to find you by Princess Luna, and she thinks you would be a good leader."

"What's the pay?"

"200 bits a month, provided everything works out." _That_ was some serious money, money you would should have thought about the offer more. How did you even know the offer was serious, and not a scam? How did you know this pony wasn't a spy? Did he even _know_ Luna? And yet, you felt you could trust him. He seemed...skittish, didn't want to be confronted. He seemed like the kind of pony that would back out. Unless it was an act, he would be a bad spy. It wouldn't have been a bad thing to take a breather and discussed it with your family. They should be in on it too. Even so, you figured you'd take the offer, and discuss later.

"Ok."

"Ok what?"

"I'll do it."

"Good." He stood up to go. What did you just agree to? Now, as you watched him trot off, the full weight of your responsibilities came crashing down on your shoulders. This put you, and more importantly, your family in danger. You didn't feel like backing down, but this job was going to be bigger than you. _Very_ big. You weren't even sure what you were supposed to be doing!

"Wait!" You called out to the stallion. "What's your name?"

"Nicotine."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Oh my god I'm sorry for the lack of updates! I haven't given up on this, don't worry. I'm the _worst_ author. Things have gotten so hectic lately, mainly because my parents finally bought me a horse! I'm at the barn five days a week now, and have to work to help pay for his board. Also, Octavia is a pilot now. This is a fact. There isn't a direct correlation, but I'm referencing this map here  eeb4/f/2012/064/a/0/mlp_au_world_map_with_towns_cities_by_  . I changed some of the city names.

Your name is Octavia Melody, and you like to fly planes. Well, that's not exactly the truth. Flying planes was your job, and just because you get payed doesn't mean you like it. Before becoming a pilot, you'd been a musician in Canterlot. Ever since you got drafted, however, you'd been here at an airfield in a hidden part of northern Equestria. Soon, you were being deported to Prance to drop bombs on the base camps of the Empire.

The Crystal Empire had been trying to get various pieces of land from other countries. This had been going on ever since Cadence had asked Cestia for more land, and the offer had been refused. Angry and feeling betrayed, she turned to other countries. Little had she and the rest of the world know that Starlight Glimmer, who should have frozen to death in the mountains by now, was back. Some time ago, she'd resurfaced in Austneigha and went into Germarey. In those two countries, she'd quietly been preaching her equality, cutiemarkless way of life. Germarey's government agreed with her idea, and stupidly gave her limited power. At the last minute, Austneigha backed out, wanting no part in her plan. Of course, this didn't sit well, and Starlight persuaded the government to send in a party to talk to the Austneighians. Things got violent, and the head of government himself was killed. After making a show of her saccharine sadness, she declared herself the new head of government, and demanded the Austneigha come the fuck back and give her the backing she thought she so rightfully deserved. When the Austneighians yet again refused, Starlight took the diplomatic route of invading the smaller country and removing the cutie marks of the now brainwashed Germares. She created an army out of the mild mannered ponies to go invade the neighboring countries. Swisherland fell next. She had a direct route to Prance, and was busy marching her troops to Maris. Because she hated Princess Twilight, the next logical step was to invade Equestria, leading a war on two fronts. But at this time, the Equestrians sent their military to Prance, as they were allies, and Itstally. The Griffon Fiefdoms joined Equestria and the Prench, along with Caneighdia and Mexicolt, forming the allies. More were to join later. When Cadence found out about Starlight's plan, she contacted her to form an alliance. This was done for two reasons: the protection of the Empire at the cost of Germaney's army, and a chance to grab some free land. What she didn't expect was Starlight insisting on using her army and factories for ammunition and tank building, using her farms to grow food for soldiers. Tensions ran high between the two, but they both managed to get along well enough for things to run, although not smoothly.

You had been drafted into the war, and when given the chance to pick your poison, you figured you could fly a plane. It wasn't nothing you'd never done before, having grown up 5 minutes away from your uncle's airfield and experimenting with planes. When you signed on, you had no idea what your mission would be. Training began. You were assigned to be a pilot and by now, had flown many different missions. The first was rescuing a poor pony whose plane had crashed. You'd flown a couple more of those, until you were put in a small plane with guns on its side and told to follow the planes doing bombing. Shoot down anything that puts them in danger, they said. That was still currently your job. It wasn't bad. There had been a few close calls, but you flew well enough to pull through.

Having just returned from a mission, you had been lounging around your base camp. There really was nothing to do except drink, play cards, and wait for the mail to arrive. You were hoping for another letter from your marefriend, Vinyl Scratch. She was doing some fighting of her own. Getting her into the army had been hard because of her muteness.

You really did love Vinyl, having been with her for years. She was your best friend, your everything, your stars and moon, and life without her was impossible.

"Mail come in yet?" You turned to see Kittyhawk, a fellow pilot.

"No."

"Damn." She sits next to you. "Vinyl write yet?"

"I wish."

"She will soon enough, I bet." No letter had come from Vinyl in 3 months. You knew that it took a long time for mail to get delivered, but nonetheless, you were worried.

Kitty shifts her weight and winces. Recently, she had gotten her hoof caught in barbed wire while trying to sneak out of camp to collect more booze.

"Get that rebandaged yet?"

"It'll heal. Everyone needs bandages now." She wasn't wrong about that. "Let's get outa here. I want to see if we can go into town."

"Right now?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're grounded for now, Tavi. Why can't we go?"

"Mail is here!" Someone shouted.

"Fuck yeah!" Kitty took off at a full speed gallop.

"Wait for me!" You called, running after her.

"Early bird gets the worm!" You couldn't see her face, but you knew she was smirking.

The on camp post office was always packed with soldiers. Nearly everyone was there, begging for letters and packages from home. The poor mailpony, who come to think of it, you didn't even know the name of, was neck deep in the surging crowd. Navigating through the wall of bodies, you somehow managed to get to the back of the room. The stallion in charge was shoving the goods towards the greedy ponies from behind a counter.

"Anything for me?" You asked.

"Name?"

"Octavia Melody."

He turned to look at the shelf behind him.

"Melody? Lemme see. Oh yeah! Got somethin here." The mailpony tossed a letter over his shoulder. "Ya got anythin ya wanna send?"

"No. That will be all," You responded while turning and fighting your way back through the crowd. Once outside, you sat down and opened letter. It was time for a careful examination. The envelope was cream colored and had a stamp from the Equestrian military. It reminded you of your draft notice. Was this the letter that would become your ticket home? Quickly, you ripped open the envelope and scanned the letter. What you saw made your breath catch in your throat.

Your name is Reckless, and things were hectic. The war was coming closer to the place that you had been ironically sent to stay safe. Cheerilee had sent everyone home in a panic. Time to barricade yourself inside with Cricket and play board games.

Your brave guardian was practically pissing herself and screaming into the phone. She was yapping on the phone instead of gathering weapons, firewood, and food. Time to take things into your own hooves.

Cricket would be busy for a while if everything went your way. You trotted to the laundry room and hopped on top of the washing machine. After finding your balance, you popped open the window and glanced outside. There were some bushes to soften your fall. While you wouldn't be falling far, it was nice to not fall on the ground. You dove out the window and landed with a soft groan.

Within a few seconds, you were back on your feet and took off in a bouncy trot toward the direction of the town center. A plan was forming in your mind. You didn't have any bits with you, but begging worked as well. At least, it had in Manehatten.

Arriving in town, you surveyed the farmer's market. A few ponies were milling around the carts and filling bags with food. You didn't recognize most of the ponies, but you did spot the huge pink bow of Applebloom. What was she doing her?

"Hey Bloom!" You greeted loudly. "Watcha doing?"

"Uhm, Hi Reckless. I'm buying some food."

"Nice."

"Yeah. My sister sent me."

"Really? My sister used to send me to buy things to!"  
"Great," she said boredly, looking off in the distance.

"Well, I'm gonna go now." And with that, you left. Making friends was off to a bad start. It was puzzling. In the city, you had lots of friends! Then again, you had known them all your life. A memory came to front of your mind. Once, at home, while coloring, you had overheard a conversation between Rusty and Saffy, your agender sibling. They had been talking in the living room. A wall had separated it from the room you were sitting in. The walls were thin enough that you could overhear. From everything you had heard, they had no idea you were listening.

"You think we should even send Reck to school?" Rusty asked.

"Were you expecting Mom to do it?" Saffy snapped in their usual manner.

"I'm expecting Mom to get off her ass and be a parent."  
"You know she won't ever do that."

"Yeah." They paused.

"It's your decision," Saffy murmured softly. "You'd make a better choice than she would."

"I've been thinking about it because it's dangerous. She's a hot headed kid-"

"Just like you-"

"-Fuck off. She's impulsive and is gonna get in a fight. She's gonna get herself fucked up the ass and I will have to pull her out of any mess she gets into."

"And? Russ, you clean up your own messes."  
"Exactly. Can't always do that for her."

"So too bad." Another pause.

"Hell, I'd bet she's gonna drop out," Rusty sighed.

"Like you did."

"I had a reason! Reckless'll do it because she thinks it's cool!"

"Stop speaking for everyone else! You dickbag. Who are you, Celestia? Can you read minds now too? What am I thinking of, huh?" Snapped Saffy. You imagined she was lashing her tail angrily.

"Who pissed in your cereal? Why are you so irritable lately?"  
"We don't need Rusty number two."  
"She's not a mini me!"

"Oh, please! You treat her like you'd treat a younger version of yourself. Look, I know you feel robbed of _something,_ but don't make her you."

"Whatever," Rusty muttered darkly. "I'm going out." You heard stomp past Saffy and towards the door. She may have been your idol, but your older sister was a piece of work.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Chapter 7 already? :0 Wow. I feel like I should have been writing faster but science has been kicking my ass this year. Also, I finally get to kill off the first of many characters in this chapter! Get used to it. I guess I should put a little trigger warning here for blood and death. I'll try to be more consistent with them, as I don't want to upset anybody. Ngl this chapter is really shitty and choppy because I lowkey lost motivation and also personal stuff.

Your name is Elodie. We last left you in your apartment, holed up and heart pounding. The opposing soldiers were coming soon and your mother is having a shit fit. She was sobbing in the kitchen while you sharpened your knife. If you were going down today, you were taking someone with you.

Despite the fact that you had many escapades involving you sneaking in and stealing, you'd never killed before. Hell, you'd even managed to avoid some close encounters. Killing or hurting someone was a whole new ballgame. Oh god, you didn't think you could do it.

"Go to your room." You heard your mother say.

"Why?"  
"Not now, Elodie."

Defeated, you slunk off to the warm darkness of your room. Sitting inside wouldn't help anything! Part of you wanted to defend your city, but that behavior was dangerous and you were safer inside. There was nothing you could even do. You jumped onto your bed and curled up. Weren't you better than this? Hiding in your room, all alone, waiting for death?

Your name is Rusty. You're currently groggy and sore from sleeping on the ground. Salem and her stupid mutt were cleaning up any traces of your camp. Connie was checking on the ammunition and guns. Champagne and Vodka were looking over the map. And you? Well, you were looking in the limited first aid kit you'd gotten. There was practically nothing except bandages and some material to clean out wounds.

Vodka walked up and sat next to you. "Do you think it's all worth it?"

"Is what worth it?" You asked.

She gestured vaguely with her hoof. "All of this. The fighting. Do you think Twilight knew what she was doing?"

"Of course she did! Why else would she have gotten us together?"

"I just can't help but think that if she wanted Cadence dead that badly, she'd do it herself." Vodka replied softly.

"You ain't supposed to say shit like that about the pony who gave you this job!" You practically shouted. Connie turned to look at both of you.

"Look," you hissed, "I know that she's gonna avoid getting her hooves dirty, but Twilight can get away with that shit, being royalty and all. Oh fuck, please don't tell me that you have a grudge against _her_!"

"No! I just…" She paused.

"What?"

"Why do we have to do this?"

"Stop whining. You got yourself into this."

"If we wanna maek some good time, we gotta move!" Champ hollered.

"How did she already get into the alcohol?" Connie wondered out loud.

"Never mind that," you huffed. "She's right about having to go."

Your name is Vodka, and despite the fact that you're named after an alcoholic beverage, you think about intellectual things. Come to think of it, why are you the second pony on you team to be named after a drink? The hell was up with that? What kind of names were these anyway?

The team was now ready to leave. You knew you had pissed off Rusty, but then again, she was always pissed off. _Well,_ you thought, _at least I got to talk to her._ Your name is Vodka, and you are hopelessly in love with the leader of your team.

You are now Reckless. The last time we saw you, you were running out of your house like an idiot. Now you were in the Ponyville marketplace. Someone had to buy some food! You slowly slinked forward, eyeing some places to hide ift the shit hit the fan and you were still outside.

"Aren't you supposed to be inside?" Your ears twitched in the direction of the southern twanged voice. Turning around, you saw a sunset colored mare with a blond mane tied up.

"Yes. So what?"

"It's dangerous."

"I do lots of things that are dangerous." The mare narrowed her eyes.

"You look like you're 12."

"And a half!"

"Just get outta here. It ain't safe."  
"You already said that." She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever punk!"

"Get inside, kid."

"I don't have to. You're not in charge of me!"

"Where do you live? I have half a mind to drag you back home."  
"I'd hate to inconvenience you," you said sweetly. The previous speaker just sighed. Suddenly, the loud cry of air raid sirens cut through the clear air like a knife slicing butter.

"Get along now." That actually sounded like a good idea. You turned sharply and cantered back home. Cricket was going to be so pissed.

You are now Elodie again. We hadn't left you for a long time, so nothing has changed except for the shrill cry of the air raid sirens, already ringing in advance. You were pacing in your locked room, hearing your mother cry in the kitchen. Mothers weren't supposed to cry and daughters weren't supposed to be ready to die. Oh, fate dealt a cruel a hand. The cards were laid out on the table and in your mind your fate was sealed. This had to be the end of the line for you, 17 years old and out of school and pretty enough to catch an eye. Too young. Too full of life. Too delicate to be pierced by a bullet.

Sleep would not wash over you. It seemed like a good idea, to sleep and be rid of reality. To be numb.

The door to you apartment creaked open and immediately your soft ears flicked in the direction of the noise. You hopped off your bed, and pushed aside you curtains so a sliver of the street below. An Empire truck, a huge ghastly thing painted camouflage with thick wheels, was below your window. Shit. They were here and they were on your street.

The first thing you could have done was warned your mother. The second was to grab your knife and charge outside, slashing the truck's tires and perhaps injuring the enemy. You did none of these things. Instead of being the hero, like you know you should have done, you layed back down on your bed.

Hooves clipped across the tile floor. You heard your mother pray. Someone with a gruff voice began to speak in Equestrian. The only pony who could translate was you, as you spoke both Equestrian and Prench, but your body had locked up with fear. Your legs were lead and your mouth was dry.

Mother rapidly attempted to communicate in her native language, but the words fell on deaf ears. Voices raised, both parties becoming frustrated with the language barrier.

 _Please don't shoot,_ you thought. Mother would have a heart attack just seeing a gun. Your mouth felt dry.

And then someone screamed. It shook you from your paralysis and you bolted to the door, stumbling over your own hooves as you pushed it open. You had to play the hero now.

Your hooves skidded on the linoleum floor as you arrived in the kitchen. Mother was surrounded by four Empire soldiers, guns pointed at her. No one noticed you. No one turned around. The lead pony barked out an order in Equestrian. He pulled the trigger. It happened in slow motion, but at the the same time, it happened too fast. Your mother, oh Celestia your own _mother,_ had gotten shot. Her face crumpled in shock as her legs buckled under her. Someone screamed. In the back of your mind, you realized it was you.

The soldier pony turned toward you, ears pinned in the direction of your ragged breathing. You cursed yourself for crying. Could you have picked a worse time to do that?


End file.
